Sam Hovland came to Austin as a tot in 1972. He has been involved in the Austin food & wine industry for over twenty-five years as a bartender, captain, trainer, and sommelier. His first retail wine experience was with the Austin Wine Merchant in the late 1999.

In the interim, his next wine-related position was as sommelier for the Headliners Club, where Sam passed the first two stages of the International Sommelier Guild’s degree in 2002 and got his Sommelier degree in 2005. More recent restaurant stints at Mars Restaurant and Bar, Swift’s Attic and Wu Chow. From 2010 to 2015, he was the wine buyer at East End Wines. He has acted as a consultant or wine buyer for many other restaurants, bars, and hotels, including some time with the wine committee for Twin Liquors, and the opening of Vine Vault. Then, back to the Austin Wine Merchant, where he had returned to work after a sixteen-year sabbatical.

He can currently be found at Serendipity Wines, working as a Brand Manager for about 60 vendors from all over the planet. Sammelier Services, his consulting business, specializes in private and corporate events, training, and specialty coffee, founded in fall 2014.